Research and guidance on embedding participation in child protection
Published:
Dr. Jo Dillon reflects on Rod Kippen’s guidance on direct work with children and young people and how we can involve them effectively in decision-making.
Talking points
This video looks at:
- Avoiding template-based social care.
- Making use of objects, places and memories when working with children and young people.
- Why a child should be able to ask us the same questions that we ask them.
- Findings from research around what effective participation looks like.
Related resources
- Enabling and embedding creative participation in child and family social work: Practice Tool
- Ensuring children's life stories are at the centre of direct work
- Meaningful participation - how can we involve children, young people and adults in shaping practice, support and services?
- Voice of the child: Evidence Review
- Young person-centred approaches in CSE - promoting participation and building self-efficacy: Frontline Briefing
- Young person-centred approaches in CSE - promoting participation and building self-efficacy: Frontline Tool
Research that is cited in this video
- Dillon, J., Greenop, D. and Hills, M. (2016) Participation in child protection: A small-scale qualitative study. Qualitative Social Work, 15 (1), 70-85.
- Dillon, J. (2019) 'Revolutionising' Participation in Child Protection Proceedings. Doctoral thesis, Liverpool John Moores University.
- Woolfson, R.C., Heffeman, E., Paul, M. and Brown, M. (2010) Young People's Views of the Child Protection System in Scotland. Oxford University Press: 2069.
- Kriz, K. and Roundtree-Swain, D. (2017) “We are merchandise on a conveyer belt”: How young adults in the public child protection system perceive their participation in decisions about their care. Children and Youth Services Review: Volume 78, July 2017, Pages 32-40.
- Sanders, R. and Mace, S. (2006) Agency policy and the participation of children and young people in the child protection process. Child Abuse Review, 15 (2), 89-109.
- Bruce, M. (2014) The Voice of the Child in Child Protection: Whose Voice? Social Sciences. 3. 10.3390/socsci3030514.
- Alfandari, R. (2015) Evaluation of a national reform in the israeli child protection practice designed to improve children's participation in decision making. Child & Family Social Work, 1-9.
- Cashmore, J. (2002) Promoting the participation of children and young people in care. Child Abuse and Neglect 26, 837-847.
- Winter, K. (2010) The perspectives of young children in care about their circumstances and implications for social work practice. Child & Family Social Work, 15 (2), 186-195.
- Pölkki, P., Vornanen, R., Pursiainen, M. and Riikonen, M. (2012) Children's Participation in Child protection Processes as Experienced by Foster Children and Social Workers. Child Care in Practice, 18 (2), 107-125.
- Cossar, J., Brandon, M. and Jordan, P. (2016) ‘You've got to trust her and she's got to trust you’: children's views on participation in the child protection system. Child & Family Social Work, 21 (1), 103-112.
Reflective questions
Here are reflective questions to stimulate conversation and support practice.
- What can you do to ensure that children and young people are able to feed into decision making around child protection?
- How might you address the imbalance of power between yourself and the child or young person that you are supporting?
Professional Standards
PQS:KSS - Relationships and effective direct work | Communication | Child and family assessment | Promote and govern excellent practice | Purposeful and effective social work
PCF - Professionalism | Intervention and skills